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02.13.12

Apple patent hints at a future of 3D eye-tracking for gaming and beyond.

While lots of Apple patents receive plenty of buzz, today’s item has iPhone users and presumably everyone in the modern age particularly excited. The tech behemoth has issued a patent application for a 3D eye-tracking interface that can be used with a variety applications such as digital photography, biometrics, and, you guessed it, gaming.

As of now, mobile systems lack the ability to position both devices and their users within the virtual environment that the device renders. However, using the iPhone’s iDevice compass, GPS, accelerometer and gyrometer, your phone would work in conjunction with the front-facing camera to calculate your position and track your eye movement. Lighting would play a significant role in determining distances and location in relation to the light source, as depicted in the illustration.

Although it will probably be a while until we are manning a 3D racer or focusing pictures with our eyes, it certainly gives us something to look forward to.